6 Prospecting Mistakes That Make A Network Marketer Look Unprofessional

Lead generation is the lifeblood of every business in the world, and without this activity your business will dry up faster than a drop of water hitting a hot skillet.

Network marketing is one of those businesses in which generating leads is not a matter of skilled marketing training, but of randomly pursuing a warm market of friends, family and associates.

This practice has been the ONLY approach that 99% of network marketers implement, and although its results have not proven to be “duplicatable,” it is still the dominant strategy being imposed on the masses.

Now, I’ve come to realize that even though there are more efficient ways to get the job done, there are those that like the “classic” or “traditional” approach. Fine, have at it. But before you wander out into the street to do this, be careful to use the following as a guideline to avoid problems.

Stop Being Secretive or using the Curiosity Approach

When someone asks you, “what is it?” prepare a professional answer and be prepared to follow up with quality information. Nothing burns me up more than to hear someone tell me, “You’ll have to see it to understand it,” or “It’s a visual presentation.” If you like rejection, then keep doing this foolishness.  Most people will NOT respond to a splash page that says “This is an awesome way to get rich. Fill out the form to find out more”. Why would they respond if you do it verbally or in an email?

Note: Some people Will respond to the Curiosity Approach. They will fill out your form, but will most likely NOT join your program.  Therefore it is a waste of time and resources to use these types of vague statements or splash pages.

Do not Lie about your Intention

I got an email from a network marketer that said they weren’t trying to recruit me or sell anything, but only to help me with some free information. Lie!
Unless they are operating a non-profit organization, everything they do is supposed to lead up to either a product sale or enrollment – and that’s perfectly fine.   I remember seeing a Marketing Blog where the header read something like “Yes, I intend to make money off of you”. Nobody is denying you the right to make money, but don’t try to insult my intelligence with this non-sense. Just give your value and when I’m interested, I’ll let you know.

Do Not Pass People off to your Upline

I really hate this one. If you are representing yourself as a business owner, then get educated enough to stand confidently before someone and speak about your business. Also, don’t “double team” someone by calling them with your upline already on the line. GET PERMISSION FIRST. Be honest and tell them that you have someone on standby with superior knowledge and experience that you’d like to call on, and ask them if it will be o.k. to call them. Once they give the o.k., then you call. No one likes to be “ambushed.”

Do not Imagine a Need that Does Not Exist

I’ve heard network marketers asked the question, “do you look at ways to generate additional income?” and when prospect replies in the negative, the network marketer want to probe to find out why. MOVE ON! Stop trying to find a way to force the spoon in their mouth. If they are not hungry, it doesn’t make sense to try and figure out why. Go find someone who’s hungry.

Never Over Pursue

It’s a big mistake to over-pursue someone for your business. How do you know when you’re over-pursuing? When you’re too involved in getting them to participate by calling, emailing, and txting constant reminders or “checking in.” If you did a good enough job of identifying an existing problem that your product/opportunity can solve, you’ve been given permission to provide education, and they’ve confirmed a follow up, leave it at that. If they don’t keep their commitment, that’s not someone you really want to work with anyway, right? Don’t ever look “needy” to someone; they won’t respect you.

Inconsistent Work Ethic

The number one mistake in prospecting is to have an inconsistent work ethic.  It is easier to fool yourself in sales than in any other profession.

At the end of the day or week, you may honestly believe that you have made a bunch of calls and sent out a gang of emails. But what you THINK and FEEL will seldom match with the facts.

You cannot judge your performance by your emotions; you must rely only factual data. This is an area record keeping will help. You have to know exactly how many prospects you called or flyers or emails you sent.

Then you must set prospecting activity goals and stick to them. If you say that you will make 30 prospecting calls a week, then don’t think you did - KNOW you did.

Also, immediately after a big sale or a good month, prospecting activity usually drops off dramatically.  Do not drop the ball while you have momentum.

Make the most of your prospecting opportunities by raising the bar on your process.

Do you have anything to add?  Let us know.